The Wildlife Habitat and Human Interactions Lab (“Iglay Lab”; https://rayiglay.wixsite.com/iglaylab) in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University is seeking a motivated, personable, and knowledgeable individual to join our team. The lab has focused on developing best practices for aerial monitoring of wildlife with drones (i.e., small Unmanned Aircraft Systems). Recent work with the Federal Aviation Administration and USDA Wildlife Services National Wildlife Research Center has expanded research to explore bias using this sampling method through simulations in an Agent-based Model (ABM). We have also explored computer vision improvements with multidisciplinary team members from the Geosystems Research Institute on campus.

The proposed Ph.D. position will focus on continuing to modify our ABM for developing best practices associated with aerial wildlife monitoring. The current ABM explores multiple drone flight patterns, animal movements, and animal distributions in an open area (100% detection probability). Current project objectives include [1] extending the current ABM to explore other types of bias in drone surveys, [2] conducting field validation experiments between visual and thermal sensors, and [3] assisting the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks in their wildlife monitoring efforts. Despite these objectives, expansions to this ABM are limitless considering student interests, questions derived from current efforts, and the lab’s access to the university’s high-powered computer consortium. Therefore, the incumbent can expect a great degree of flexibility regarding dissertation objectives and plenty of guidance among their advisors and committee members.

Core tenets of the Iglay Lab are teamwork and leadership development. We have an interdisciplinary team of researchers including members of the home department and computer vision and image analysis researchers from the Geosystems Research Institute. The incumbent will have the opportunity to collaborate with other graduate students, mentor undergraduate researchers, work closely with postdoctoral research associates, and gain teaching experience through a teaching assistantship. Scientific communication of project outcomes will be expected through a variety of outlets including publications, presentations, and public outreach. The incumbent will also be encouraged to collaborate with lab members and faculty on projects outside their dissertation and be involved with seeking funding which will allow for CV diversification, conditioned upon maintaining primary dissertation responsibilities.

Additional Information about MSU

Mississippi State University is one of the leading research institutions in the Southeast and ranked as a top-tier land grant university by the National Science Foundation. The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture is comprised of 35 faculty, >20 support staff, and > 60 graduate students. It is home to the Mississippi USGS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, a US Fish and Wildlife Service Unit, USDA Wildlife Services State Director’s office, and several state agency offices. MSU is also the lead organization of FAA’s Centers for Excellence (ASSURE; https://www.raspet.msstate.edu/research/faa-assure) and home to the Raspet Flight Laboratory. The incumbent will be requested to have a faculty member of the Geosystems Research Institute (https://www.gri.msstate.edu/) on their committee. The incumbent can also expect teaching assistantship responsibilities of no more than one course per semester. Most department courses with teaching assistants request minimum time commitments.

MSU is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, disability status, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We always welcome nominations and applications from women, members of any minority group, and others who share our passion for building a diverse community that reflects the diversity in our student population.